1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical fixtures and fasteners for attaching such fixtures to stable structures. In another aspect, the invention relates to a quick-connect system for coupling a light fixture, such as a sconce, to a standard electrical J-box.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional light fixtures supported on vertical walls (e.g., sconces) are typically attached to the walls via standard J-boxes. FIG. 1 shows a conventional sconce 10, J-box 12, and attachment means 14. The J-box 12 is typically rigidly coupled to wall studs during electrical wiring of the structure. Electrical source wires 16 extend through an opening in a side wall of the J-box 12. To attach the sconce 10 to the J-box 12, a threaded tip 18 of an arm 20 of the sconce 10 is extended through an opening 22 in a back plate 24 and threaded into a first end 26 of a hickey 28. The arm 20 is then secured to the first end 26 of the hickey 28 by threading a hex nut 30 onto the threaded tip 18 and tightening the nut 30 against the inside surface of the first end 26 of the hickey 28. A threaded nipple 32 can then be threaded into a threaded opening 34 in a back strap 36 and fixed relative to the back strap 36 via a hex nut 38. The back strap 36 can then be coupled to a pair of protruding tabs 40 of the J-box 12 by extending a pair of screws 42 through a pair of slots 44 in the back strap 36 and into corresponding threaded holes in the tabs 40. Once the hickey 28 is fixed to the arm 20 and the threaded nipple 32 is fixed to the J-box 12 (via the back strap 36), electrical supply wires 48 of the sconce 10 can be electrically coupled to the electrical source wires 16 of the J-box 12. The sconce 10 can then be physically coupled to the J-box 12 by screwing a second end 50 of the hickey 28 onto a portion of the threaded nipple 32 which extends outwardly from the back strap 36.
A significant disadvantage of the conventional system illustrated in FIG. 1 is that the entire sconce 10 must be rotated relative to the J-box 12 in order for the hickey 28 to be threaded onto the nipple 32. Such a configuration causes the electrical wires 16,48 to become twisted within the J-box 12 during physical attachment of the sconce 10 to the J-box 12. Obvious problems (e.g., electrical shorts and fire hazards) are associated with excessive twisting of the electrical wires 16,48 in the J-box 12.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional sconce 100, J-box 102, and attachment means 104 similar to those shown in FIG. 1, however, the sconce 110 in FIG. 2 has a back plate 106 which is slidable on the arm 108 of the sconce 100. This configuration avoids the problem of the electrical wires 110,112 twisting in the J-box 102 because the electrical supply wires 112 of the sconce 100 can be connected to the electrical source wires 110 of the J-box 102 after the sconce 100 is fixed to the J-box 102. Access to the wires 110,112 after the sconce 100 is mounted on the J-box 102 is provided by sliding the back plate 106 on the arm 108 away from the J-box 102. Once the wires 110,112 are electrically coupled to one another, the back plate 106 can be slid towards the J-box 102 and fixed to the arm 108 by tightening a set screw 116 in the back plate 114 against an outer surface 118 the arm 108.
A significant disadvantage of the conventional system illustrated in FIG. 2 is that such a system requires the length of the arm 108 to be sufficient for allowing the back plate 106 to be slid far enough away from the J-box 102 so that the electrical wires 110,112 can be accessed for manual connection to one another. The required minimum length of the sconce arm 108 can be especially disadvantageous in view of building safety restrictions which limit the distance that an object may project from a wall surface. For example, in order to comply with the American""s with Disabilities Act (ADA), sconces positioned less than 80 inches above the floor must protrude no more than 4 inches from the wall. This limitation on the length of the sconce arm 108 makes it virtually impossible to slide the back plate 106 far enough away from the J-box 102 to provide access for connecting the electrical wires 112 of the sconce 100 to the electrical wires 110 in the J-box 102.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for coupling an electrical fixture to a standard J-box without causing substantial twisting of the electrical wires in the J-box.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for mounting a sconce having a short protruding arm adjacent a wall via a standard J-box without causing substantial twisting of the electrical wires in the J-box.
Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention there is provided a connector for releasably coupling an electrical fixture to a J-box. The connector generally comprises a female member and a male member. The female member has an inner surface which defines an internal bore. The female member includes at least one connection slot extending into the inner surface. The slot comprises a generally axially extending terminal recess. The male member presents an outer surface which defines a protrusion. The male member includes at least one coupling element extending outwardly from the outer surface. The male and female members are shiftable between a decoupled position wherein the male and female members are separated from one another and a coupled position wherein the protrusion is at least partly received in the internal bore and the coupling element is at least partly received in the terminal recess, thereby inhibiting rotation of the male and female members relative to one another.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an electrical fixture mountable adjacent a generally flat surface via a standard J-box. The fixture generally comprises an arm assembly and a quick-connect fastener. The arm assembly is adapted to extend outwardly from the surface when the fixture is mounted adjacent the surface. The quick-connect fastener is adapted to releasably couple the arm assembly to the J-box. The quick-connect fastener generally includes a female member, a male member, and a biasing mechanism. The female member has an inner surface which defines an internal bore. The female member includes a connection slot extending into the inner surface and including a generally axially extending terminal recess. The male member presents an outer surface which defines a protrusion. The male member includes a coupling element extending outwardly from outer the surface. One of the male or female members is coupled to the arm assembly and the other of the male or female members is adapted to be coupled to the J-box. The quick-connect fastener is shiftable between a decoupled position wherein the male and female members are separated and a coupled position wherein the protrusion is at least partly received in the internal bore and the coupling element is held in the terminal recess by the biasing mechanism, thereby inhibiting rotation of the male and female members relative to one another.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention there is provided a sconce mountable on a wall via a conventional J-box. The sconce generally comprises a light bulb socket, an elongated arm, an electrically conductive wire, a back strap, and a quick-connect fastener. The socket is adapted to receive a light bulb. The elongated arm has a distal end coupled to the socket and a proximal end. The arm defines an internal channel extending between the proximal and distal ends. The electrically conductive wire is electrically coupled to the light bulb socket, extends through the internal channel, and projects out of the proximal end of the arm. The back strap is adapted to be coupled to the J-box. The quick-connect fastener generally comprises a male member coupled to the proximal end of the arm, a female member coupled to the back strap, and a biasing mechanism. The female member has an inner surface which defines and internal bore. The female member includes a connection slot extending into the inner surface. The connection slot comprises a generally axially extending portion, a generally circumferentially extending portion, and a generally axially extending terminal recess. The male member presents an outer surface which defines a protrusion. The male member includes a coupling element extending outwardly from the outer surface. The male and female members are shiftable between a decoupled position wherein the male and female members are separated and a coupled position wherein the protrusion is at least partly received in the internal bore and the coupling element is held in the terminal recess by the biasing mechanism, thereby inhibiting rotation of the male and female members relative to one another.
In accordance with a still further embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method of mounting an electrical fixture adjacent a surface via a standard J-box, the method comprises the steps of: (a) coupling one of either a male member or a female member to a back strap; (b) coupling the other of the male or female members to the fixture; (c) inserting a protrusion of the male member into an internal bore of the female member; and (d) rotating the fixture relative to the J-box through an angle of less than 360xc2x0, thereby securely coupling the fixture to the J-box.
It should be noted that the above-listed objects need not be accomplished by the present invention and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, the drawings, and the claims.